Department for Transport

Railways

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which rail enhancement schemes are currently covered by the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline system; and which stage eachscheme is at.

baroness sugg: We are committed to transparent policy making and intend to make clear public statements as we take investment decisions on enhancements at each stage of the pipeline. This means that there will be a clear picture of the schemes that are progressing and the benefits that Government is seeking. In addition, Network Rail will continue to provide updates on the progress of enhancements already in the portfolio, through the publication of the Enhancements Delivery Plan.

Plymouth Port: Ferries

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether ferry services to the continent (1) arriving into, and (2) departing from, the port of Plymouth will be treated in the same way as larger UK ports in their planning for Brexit and no-Brexit scenarios.

baroness sugg: The Government continues to expect to reach an agreement on withdrawal from the European Union on 29 March 2019, but we are of course considering all contingencies including a "day one no deal" scenario. All our major ports play an important role in keeping trade flowing — Plymouth is no exception, and will be treated in the same way as other comparable ports.

Driving: Working Hours

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to maintain the standards governing the working hours of professional drivers set out in the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 after Brexit.

baroness sugg: The drivers’ hours and working time rules for mobile workers are currently harmonised at EU level and implemented in the UK through domestic legislation. The EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 retains directly-applicable EU laws, including relating to these rules. The Government is preparing secondary legislation under this Act to ensure that the statute book continues to function after 29 March 2019, for example by correcting procedural deficiencies in retained EU law. There are no plans to amend the substance of these rules, which the Government recognises are an important road safety measure.

Driving: Working Hours

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to reduce the number of permitted driver hours under the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 after Brexit.

baroness sugg: The drivers’ hours and working time rules for mobile workers are currently harmonised at EU level and implemented in the UK through domestic legislation. The EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 retains directly-applicable EU laws, including relating to these rules. The Government is preparing secondary legislation under this Act to ensure that the statute book continues to function after 29 March 2019, for example by correcting procedural deficiencies in retained EU law. There are no plans to amend the substance of these rules, which the Government recognises are an important road safety measure.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Hinkley Point C Power Station

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions regarding the transport of aggregates by (1) road, (2) sea,and (3) other means, were placed on the planning approvals for Hinkley Point C nuclear power station; and how many tonnes of aggregates have been transported by (a) road, and (b) sea since construction began.

lord henley: The Development Consent Order “The Hinkley Point C (Nuclear Generating Station) Order 2013” placed conditions of the times of day and days of the week that road freight can move and goods can be delivered by sea. The DCO is available through www.legislation.gov.uk and is SI 2013 No. 648. In addition to this, the Developer entered into a Deed of Development Consent Obligations pursuant to section 106 of the Town and Country Planning act 1990 – the only other parties to the deed being West Somerset District Council, Somerset County Council, Sedgemoor District Council and companies within the EDF group. These Section 106 commitments included implementation of more detailed travel plans. Sedgemoor District Council has made the deed available on their website, and a copy is attached. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not have records of the tonnage of aggregates that have been transported since construction began.



Sedgemoor District Council - DCO S106 Agreement
(PDF Document, 3.23 MB)

European Space Agency: Finance

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to seek compensation for the UK's contributions to the European Space Agency for those EU programmes it will no longer be able to participate in after Brexit; and if so, how much.

lord henley: The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organisation, independent of the European Union. We have been clear that we will continue membership of ESA and an independent report has shown that the UK gets on average a return of £10 for every £1 it invests with ESA. The EU’s space programmes are not funded by ESA, but by the EU itself (and, by extension, Member State contributions to the EU’s budget).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ethiopia: Foreign Relations

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the present state of Anglo–Ethiopian relations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has a strong bilateral partnership with Ethiopia, a key ally in the Horn of Africa. We will continue to invest in growing an equitable relationship, built on shared values, and with the shared aim of creating jobs and increasing prosperity, including by increasing the number of staff at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa.Government Ministers regularly meet with their Ethiopian counterparts to discuss cooperation across a range of issues. The Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for International Development both visited Addis Ababa in August; the latter met with Prime Minister Abiy and discussed, inter-alia, the importance of inclusiveness and establishing accountability as part of his reform agenda. The Minister of State for Africa visited at the beginning of October, participating in constructive Aid Talks, which, while covering the breadth of issues identified in the 2018 Partnership Principles Assessment, focused on the economy. The Minister for Africa also, on 16 October, opened the UK-Ethiopia Trade and Investment Forum here in London, recognising the 80% growth in total trade in goods and services between the UK and Ethiopia in 2017 as a clear signal of our evolving, modern partnership.

Ministry of Justice

Money Laundering: Trials

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many money laundering cases have been brought to trial in each of the last ten years.

lord keen of elie: The table below sets out the number of prosecutions and convictions for money laundering offences between 2007 and 2017.  20072008200920102011201220132014201520162017Money Laundering   Prosecutions2,2931,8122,4402,7192,6822,5052,3492,0952,3071,9981,906Convictions1,3361,2751,4101,5811,5191,4221,2691,1431,3361,4351,347

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many assaults there were on prisonofficers in prisons and young offender institutions in each year from 2010to the last year for which records are available.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of self-harm were recorded in prisons and young offender institutions in each year from 2010to the last year for which records are available.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many suicidesthere were in prisons and young offender institutions in each year from 2010to the last year for which records are available.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of suicides in prison were by people held on remand in each year from 2010 to the last year for which records are available.

lord keen of elie: Figures for each full year up to 2017, the latest for which data is available, are given in the table below.Year20102011201220132014201520162017Assaults on prison officers2,8483,1322,9873,2663,6404,9636,8448,429Incidents of self-harm26,97924,64723,15823,23025,84332,31340,16044,651Self-inflicted deaths58586176899012270Remand prisoners % of self-inflicted deaths55%40%31%38%29%40%27%29% These figures include Immigration Removal Centres run by Her Majesty's Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS). “Remand” includes both prisoners who have not been convicted, and those who have been convicted but not yet sentenced. Classifications of deaths are provisional until confirmed by an inquest. “Self-inflicted death” includes any death of a person who has apparently taken their own life, irrespective of intention. This includes not only suicides but also accidental deaths resulting from the person’s own actions. This classification is used because it is not always known whether a person intended to kill themselves.

Prisons: Drugs

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total weight of drugs recovered in prisons in England and Wales in (1) 2017, and (2) 2018 to date.

lord keen of elie: 189 kilogrammes of drugs were recovered in prisons in England and Wales in 2017 and 50 kilogrammes of drugs were recovered between January and March this year. Data for the months since March 2018 will be available on GOV.UK in July 2019, as part of the Annual HMPPS Digest. The volume of drugs recovered reflects not only the number of attempts to convey illicit substances into our prisons but also our success in finding and recovering these drugs.

Prisons: Reform

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they responded to the report on prison policy by the Catholic Bishops' Conference,The Right Road,published in November 2016; and if so, what was their response.

lord keen of elie: We have not formally responded to this report. However, we absolutely share the Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s vision of a prison system that rehabilitates offenders and supports victims. We are working towards this through our reforms to prisons, and indeed probation services.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord lamont of lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use when deciding whether to permit sales ofmilitary equipment to the government of Saudi Arabia; and whether they anticipate the outcome of investigations into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi to affect such criteria.

baroness fairhead: Export licence applications are carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A licence would not be granted if to do so was inconsistent with the Criteria. The policy remains as announced to parliament in a Written Ministerial Statement on 25 March 2014: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140325/wmstext/140325m0001.htm#14032566000018. The key test for the Government for our continued military exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is whether there is a clear risk that those items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL. The situation in Saudi Arabia is kept under careful review and decisions are made on a case by case basis.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Commonwealth citizens are currently serving in the British armed forces; and in which services they serve.

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of Commonwealth citizens serving in the British armed forces.

earl howe: There is a long tradition of Commonwealth citizens serving in the British Armed Forces, and we continue to value their service which provides an important contribution in defending the UK at home and abroad. The table below shows the numbers of Commonwealth citizens serving in our Armed Forces as at 1 April 2018: ServiceRoyal Navy/ Royal MarinesArmyRoyal Air ForceTotalRegulars4803,940804,500FR20 Reserves1019010210Total4904,140904,720 The 4,500 Commonwealth citizens in the Regular forces represent 3.4% of the Regular trained strength. The 210 Commonwealth citizens in the FR20 Reserves represent 0.7% of the FR20 Reserve trained strength.Notes: Figures for the Royal Navy/Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are for the Trained Regular Population and Trained FR20 population. Army figures are for Trade Trained Regular population, and Trained FR20 population.Nationality is as reported on the Joint Personnel Administration systemFigures are rounded to the nearest 10.  We keep our recruitment policies under constant review, and should there be any future changes in relation to applications from the Commonwealth these will be made clear on the single Service websites.

Armed Forces: Photographs

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions there are on serving members of the armed forces having their photographs taken with public figures; and in what circumstances taking such photographs might lead to disciplinary action.

earl howe: It is not unlawful, either in criminal or Service law, to have a photograph taken with a public figure. Disciplinary action would only follow when the intent behind the photograph breached the Armed Forces' Values and Standards, caused damage to another person, or damaged public trust in the Armed Forces by bringing the Services into disrepute. Any constraints or actions against individuals could only be considered on a case by case basis.

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the (1) number, and (2) gender breakdown, of workers earning below the personal tax threshold who have been automatically enrolled into a net pay workplace pension scheme.

baroness buscombe: Automatic enrolment has reversed the decline in workplace pension saving. Latest figures show that more than 9.9 million people have been automatically enrolled; with participation amongst eligible women in the private sector increasing, from 40 per cent in 2012 to 80 per cent in 2017, to equal the rate for men. By 2019/20 an extra £20 billion a year is estimated to go into workplace pensions as a result of these reforms. Automatic enrolment requires the sponsoring employer to put in place a qualifying workplace pension scheme for their affected workers. The Pensions Regulator provides guidance to employers on choosing a pension scheme for their staff in order to discharge their statutory obligations under automatic enrolment. This guidance covers the choice between net pay and relief at source schemes, and the implications of net pay schemes for employees who do not pay tax. Government does not collect data about whether net pay arrangements or relief at source pension schemes are used by employers to comply with their automatic enrolment duties.

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey aretaking to check the accuracy of contributions being paid into pension schemes under automatic enrolment.

baroness buscombe: Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.9 million employees enrolled and more than 1.3 million employers having met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment. Qualifying pension schemes for automatic enrolment are subject to the same regulatory framework as all trust-based workplace pension schemes, also overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions; provide information to help members check their contributions; and report material payment failures to the Regulator.

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that a proper audit of the accuracy of a master trust's pension contribution records has taken placebefore it is permitted to exit the market or merge with another trust.

baroness buscombe: Trustees are required to act in accordance with their fiduciary duties to the beneficiaries of the scheme, as well as legislative requirements. This includes running and managing the scheme, and ensuring the accuracy of the scheme’s contribution records. The Pension Schemes Act 2017 introduced a requirement for Master Trust schemes to notify the Pensions Regulator if they intend to exit the market prior to the introduction of the new authorisation and supervisory regime from October 2018 and for the Regulator to have close oversight of the process. The new authorisation and supervisory regime for Master Trusts requires that Master Trusts demonstrate to the Pensions Regulator that they have effective systems and processes. This includes whether the scheme can process transactions, including contributions, automatically and securely and whether it has the capability to carry out data reconciliations against transactions. Master Trusts must be able to quickly identify missing contributions and have a process in place to rectify any issues. The Regulator has a separate Code of Practice on the payment of contributions and can take action where contributions are not invested. Where a Master Trust exits the market the trustees must submit a detailed implementation strategy to the Regulator for approval. This includes details of how scheme pension contributions will be handled. Trustees are required to comply with the implementation strategy to the satisfaction of the Regulator.

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they require employers and pension providers to report on errors in contributions paid; what penalties can be imposed if the wrong contributions are paid for workers in automatic enrolment; and what measures they plan to take to monitor the accuracy of pension contributions.

baroness buscombe: Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.9million employees enrolled and more than 1.3 million employers having met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment.Employers are also required to pay those contributions across to their chosen pension provider by a set deadline. Although the deadlines for contribution payments vary, depending on the type of scheme being used, there is an overall legal deadline of the twenty-second day of the following month; which aligns with the HMRC deadline for paying tax and National Insurance.With the introduction of the employer duties in 2012, there is a legal requirement on employers, trustees, managers and providers to keep certain records including the contributions payable in each relevant pay reference period by an employer to the scheme, and the amount payable. This includes contributions due on the employer’s behalf and deductions made from earnings.The records an employer must keep will enable them to prove that they have complied with their duties and to help check or reconcile contributions made to the pension scheme.Qualifying pension schemes for automatic enrolment are subject to the same regulatory framework as all trust-based workplace pension schemes, also overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions; provide information to help members check their contributions; and report material payment failures to the Regulator.

Universal Credit: Lone Parents

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of lone parent families subject to the benefit cap on Universal Credit have a child aged under 2 years old.

baroness buscombe: Figures on number and proportion of single parent families subject to the Benefit Cap on Universal Credit by age of the youngest child are intended for future publication. The Department published its Universal Credit experimental statistics future release strategy on the 12 June 2018 in response to the public consultation on future Universal Credit statistics.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horse Racing

baroness golding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what agreement has been reached on the transport of racing horses to and from the EU in order to enable easy participation in horse racing following Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: We want all equines to continue to be able to travel to and from the EU with the minimum of disruption, whilst maintaining high biosecurity and welfare standards when we leave. The Government is negotiating our departure from the EU with this in mind and Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) on appropriate future arrangements, including those for the movement of equines, under a number of possible scenarios. We are also putting in place contingency arrangements in the event of a no-deal outcome, as referenced in the recently published DExEU technical notice “Taking horses abroad if there’s no Brexit deal”.

Animals: Exports

baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many animals have been exported abroad for slaughter in each of the past five years; and how many of those animals they estimate wereslaughtered without being pre-stunned.

lord gardiner of kimble: According to the EU Trade Control and Expert System (TRACEs) database, the total volume of trade in live exports for slaughter to the EU from the UK from 2014 to 2016 was:  201420152016Cattle 3,9827,67310,464Sheep361,769321,343385,099Pigs 10,39612,7728,916Total378,161343,803406,495  The majority of these animals are exported from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland across the land border. The number of animals that were not stunned before slaughter is unknown.

Dogs: Meat

lord selkirk of douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which dog meat (1) has been sold, and (2) is being sold, in the UK.

lord selkirk of douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for banning the sale and consumption of dog meat in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: It is already illegal to sell dog meat for human consumption and the Government has seen no evidence that dog meat is being sold or consumed in the UK.

Water: Pipelines

lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey have considered using High Speed 2 as a conduit for a pipeline for pumping water from areas with an excess supply of water to those which are under-supplied.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government recognises the need to increase long term security of water supplies. The Government has committed to a ‘twin track approach’ to improving water resilience in its Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and in the 25 Year Environment Plan.The Government is developing a national policy statement for water resources, which will set out the need for and streamline the delivery of nationally significant water resources infrastructure including water transfers.The National Infrastructure Assessment published by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) confirmed that strategic transfers are a necessary part of improving the security of water supplies.Water companies have recently consulted on their draft water resources management plans. None have proposed a scheme using HS2 to transfer water as a preferred option. Each company faces different challenges in maintaining their supply-demand balance and it is for the individual company to decide how best to meet this requirement.

Plastics: Recycling

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which the cost of plastic recycling has increased, and (2) the impact such an increase has had on local authorities; what are the reasons for any such cost increase; and what steps they are taking to mitigate the consequences of that increase.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government works with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to monitor recycling costs and WRAP publishes an annual Gate Fees report on costs of waste treatment. The latest report was published in July. Some local authorities (LAs) have indicated that the changing demand for waste may have caused additional pressures but that these are not universal and differ according to recycling arrangements and treatment contracts. We continue to monitor how markets might evolve in the coming months. WRAP data shows that 99% of LAs collected plastic bottles for recycling in 2017/18, while 77% collected rigid mixed plastics (pots, tubs and trays). Councils will come to different decisions about which materials they collect for recycling, depending on local factors and the ability to sell these materials on to recycling companies. The UK Government wants want to create a vibrant market for recycled materials in the UK, including plastic, and to improve recycling.  Our Resources and Waste Strategy will set out measures to deliver these ambitions.

National Forest Company: Finance

lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evaluation they have carried out of the benefits of the grant-in-aid they provide to the National Forest Company.

lord gardiner of kimble: Since 1995, the grant in aid provided by Defra to the National Forest Company (NFC) has facilitated benefits to the environment, economy and communities with an increase in forest cover from 6% in 1991 to nearly 21% in 2018, planting 8.7 million trees and creating more than 7,000 hectares of new habitat. 70% of woodlands have been brought into active management and there has been an increase in the visitor economy of 30% with an economic impact of £428 million each year, supporting more than 5,000 jobs. A report commissioned by Defra and the NFC (attached) in 2010 calculated a net present value for the National Forest of £721 million between 1991 and 2100. The report estimated that by 2100 the cost-benefit ratio of the National Forest will be 1:4.8 for regeneration, biodiversity, wildlife and non-use values, landscape, recreation, carbon sequestration and timber production. The largest contributor to the benefits is the recreational value. The additional indirect benefits of regeneration, ecosystem services, health, education and social care are not captured in this analysis.



Costs and Benefits of The National Forest
(PDF Document, 848.15 KB)

Home Office

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the possibility of a conflict of interest arising from the appointment of Dru Sharpling as a member of the panel considering the Janner strandof the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and her previous appointment as a Crown Prosecutor.

baroness williams of trafford: As required by the Inquiries Act 2005, inquiry panel members must notify the Minister of any issues that might affect their eligibility for appointment, such as their ability to be impartial. In March 2017, following confirmation of the investigative strands that the Inquiry would pursue, Dru Sharpling wrote to then Home Secretary to provide details of her career and stating her belief that this would not affect impartiality. The then Home Secretary replied confirming that she was satisfied that none of the information provided could be said to affect the panel’s impartiality.These letters are available on the IICSA website - https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/1361/view/copy-2017-03-01-letter-from-dru-sharpling-to-home-secretary-re-further-declaration-interest.pdf and https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/1362/view/copy-2017-03-20-letter-from-home-secretary-to-dru-sharpling-re-further-declaration-interest.pdf.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the possibility of a conflict of interest arising from the appointment of DruSharpling as a member of the panel considering the Janner strand in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, given her former role as an inspector of constabulary being briefed in the Janner case prior to charges being brought.

baroness williams of trafford: As required by the Inquiries Act 2005, inquiry panel members must notify the Minister of any issues that might affect their eligibility for appointment, such as their ability to be impartial. In March 2017, following confirmation of the investigative strands that the Inquiry would pursue, Dru Sharpling wrote to then Home Secretary to provide details of her career and stating her belief that this would not affect impartiality.The then Home Secretary replied confirming that she was satisfied that none of the information provided could be said to affect the panel’s impartiality. These letters are available on the IICSA website - https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/1361/view/copy-2017-03-01-letter-from-dru-sharpling-to-home-secretary-re-further-declaration-interest.pdf and https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/1362/view/copy-2017-03-20-letter-from-home-secretary-to-dru-sharpling-re-further-declaration-interest.pdf.

Hate Crime

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Home Office statistics demonstrating that the number of hate crimes committed in England and Wales has more than doubled in the past five yearsand that hate crimes recorded by the police increased by 17 per cent in the year to March 2018.

baroness williams of trafford: The latest data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales shows hate crime has fallen by 40% over the last decade.In contrast, the trend in police recorded hate crime has been upward since 2012/13 which, like other categories of police recorded crime, is thought to be largely driven by improvements in police recording practices but also better identification of hate crimes, willingness of victims to come forward but there has also been genuine increase in these offences around certain events such as the EU Referendum and the terrorist attacks in 2017.The increase in police recorded hate crime is consistent with Government policy to encourage better recording as it is vital to victim care, the criminal justice system and our understanding of the nature of this abhorrent crime.

Peers: Correspondence

lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to respond to a letter sent to the office of the Immigration Minister by Lord Hain on 10 September regarding the decision to refuse entry to the UK to Miss Teresa Fay Harris.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is required to respond to such correspondence within 20 working days; however, on this occasion it was not possible to provide a full reply within that timeframe. A response to your letter was provided on 23 October 2018.

Passports: Interviews

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who applied for passports had to attend an application interview at a passport office in (1) 2010, (2) 2014, and (3) 2017.

baroness williams of trafford: The number of people who applied for a passport who had to attend an interview (1) 2010, (2) 2014, and (3) 2017 is as follows:  Applicants attending for an interview:2010296,4342014246,3122017177,540

Passports: Interviews

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of those attending an application interview at a passport office were not successful in obtaining a passport in (1) 2010, (3) 2014, and (3) 2017.

baroness williams of trafford: This data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The application interview is one of a range of checks conducted by Her Majesty’s Passport Office to confirm the identity of an applicant, and a decision to issue a passport is not determined by the outcome of an interview alone.

Passports

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government where each passport office is located; and how many passport applications each office dealt with in (1) 2010, (2) 2014, and (3) 2017.

baroness williams of trafford: Her Majesty’s Passport Office has seven Application Processing Centres. The table below shows the volumes of passports printed in 2010, 2014, and 2017, broken down by each office where the application was dealt with:  LondonLiverpoolPeterboroughNewportGlasgowBelfastDurham2010224,6131,058,5791,117,477775,486125,636364,7501,675,9962014252,0571,386,2361,605,810146,637165,756628,5282,043,8432017249,7101,266,6731,662,714545,830392,498603,3072,029,037

Passports

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether passport offices use remote video links in passport applications; and where those offices that use such video links are located.

baroness williams of trafford: Her Majesty’s Passport Office provides an interview service as part of a range of checks to confirm the identity of an applicant. For those who live in more remote parts of the UK, the service is provided via a secure video link. The 30 locations that hold video interviews are:(30) UK remote Video interviews service locations:Aberystwyth, Balivanich, Bowmore, Caernarfon, Campbeltown, Carlisle, Castlebay (Barra), Dalmellington, Dunoon, Elgin, Fort William, Girvan, Haverfordwest, Hull, Inverness, Kirkwall, Lamlash, Lerwick, Norwich, Oban, Portree, Rothesay, St Mary’s, Stornoway, Stranraer, Tiree, Tobermory, Ullapool, Wick and Yeovil.

Slavery: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed drop-in centres intended to offer support to victims of modern slavery after a positive conclusive grounds decision will be available to young people who entered the National Referral Mechanism as children but have since turned 18 years old.

baroness williams of trafford: We have provided a comprehensive funding settlement that enables police forces to carry out their important work and meet their financial obligations, including national insurance contributions.In 2018/19 we increased total investment in the police system by over £460m. This includes £280m in force funding from increases in Council Tax precept income.

Overseas Students: Entry Clearances

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the analysis by Universities UKEstimates of lost higher education export revenue, 22 October, of the impact on universities of the restrictions on visas for foreign students.

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the analysis by Universities UKEstimates of lost higher education export revenue, 22 October, of the impact on tax revenues as a result of the restrictions on visas for foreign students.

baroness williams of trafford: There is no limit on the number of international students who can come to study in the UK, and no intention to impose one.The UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students. In the year ending June 2018, the number of University-sponsored study visa applications (main applicants) rose 7%. Visa applications from university students are now 27% higher than they were in 2010.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for a graduate talent visa to allow international students to gain work experience in the UK for up to two years after graduating.

baroness williams of trafford: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its review of the impact of International Students in the UK. The MAC made several recommendations regarding port-study work, though they did not recommend a separate post-study work visa.We will be carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will be responding in due course.

Holyhead Port

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional staff the Border Force has allocated to cope with any expected additional workload at the port of Holyhead following Brexit.

baroness williams of trafford: As we prepare to leave the EU, it is vital that we continue to ensure opera-tional resilience at the border.Border Force has recruited a Readiness Task Force to provide operational resilience to the frontline and allow existing staff to undertake EU exit re-lated training. The c.300 multi-disciplinary Border Force officers will be fully deployed by the end of the year.An additional c.600 Border Force officers are being recruited in 2018/19 to respond to the new requirements it will face as a result of EU Exit and to provide resilience at key locations.Border Force will always ensure it has the necessary resources to keep the border secure and will respond flexibly to emerging requirements through ongoing assessments of operational needs

Treasury

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pension master trusts operate on a net pay system; and how many master trusts use a relief at source administration system.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that non-taxpayers who are automatically enrolled in a net pay workplace pension scheme can receive the 25per cent bonus that they would receive in a relief at source scheme.

lord bates: The Government does not hold complete data on whether a master trust pension scheme operates net pay or relief at source. Pension schemes are not required to tell HMRC if they use the net pay arrangement. They do have to register with HMRC to use relief at source. Pension schemes have only been required to declare whether they are a master trust during tax registration since April 2018. Schemes that were already registered at that date have not been required to inform Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs that they are a master trust. They are required to inform HMRC if they become or cease to be a master trust. The tax relief provided under net pay reflects an individual’s marginal rate of tax. Under relief at source, all savers receive a flat rate of 25%, equivalent to the basic rate of tax, regardless of their marginal rate of tax. This means that lower earners in relief at source schemes may receive extra tax relief. Higher and additional rate taxpayers can claim any further relief to which they are entitled from HMRC. This was designed to simplify the administration of personal pensions.The government recognises the different impacts of the two systems of paying pension tax relief on pension contributions for workers earning below the personal allowance. To date, it has not been possible to identify any straightforward or proportionate means to align the effects of the net pay and relief at source mechanisms more closely for this population. However, the government’s ambition for HMRC to become one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world may present opportunities to look afresh at the two systems of paying pension tax relief, to explore the current difference in treatment, and ensure that we can make the most of any new opportunities, balancing simplicity, fairness, and practicality.

Private Education: VAT

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to impose VAT on the fees charged by independent schools.

lord bates: The government has no plans to change the VAT treatment of independent schools.

Government Departments: Interest Charges

lord morris of aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 11 October (HL Deb, col 184), whether any government departments or their agencies charge interest rates to borrowers of 6.2per cent or above.

lord bates: The government has issued many loans over the years and interest rates have varied considerably over time. Given this, details of all loans issued and the rates applied are not held centrally by HM Treasury.